High quality cutting blades are typically sharpened by using cylindrical abrasive wheels that are interlocked to form a nip. The blade passes axially along the abrasive wheels at the nip and material is removed forming facets on each side that intersect to form the sharpened edge of the blade. Standard practice utilizes successive stations of different coarseness to grind and finish the blade. Each station includes a pair of spindles and wheels and the associated mechanism to position and rotate the wheels. Thus, a first station utilizes coarse grit abrasive wheels to remove the largest amount of material. Subsequent stations utilize finer grits to hone the edge and frequently, a stropping station finishes the edge by straightening spot turn and removing burrs therefrom.
The interlocking of the wheels is typically accomplished by threading the pair of abrasive wheels with right and left hand grooves, respectively, and using a synchronized power transmission system to orient the groove of one wheel to the land of the other wheel. Alternatively, a plurality of spaced narrow abrasive discs can be used in place of the helically grooved wheels, with the discs of one assembly being interlocked with the discs of an oppositely positioned assembly.
The present invention relates to an improved method and apparatus for sharpening a blade in a single station and not finishing the edge at the end of a wheel.